We arrived just a short while later, the gothic gables of the Queen’s abbey taking shape on the horizon in the moonlight. The captain maneuvered the ship above a grassy spot on the grounds. Moving deftly and quietly, the ship lowered as far to the ground as she could without damaging the rudder.
“Get out here,” one of the crew members told us as he tossed a rope ladder over the side of the ship. “We’ll lower the box.”
Without another word, William and I climbed down the ladder. We stood in the grassy space to the side of the Queen’s abbey. From inside, I saw the flash of lamplight. I felt the strange sensation that we were being watched. A moment later, I heard an odd clicking sound. I heard the clank of metal coming from the garden. A moment later, three sets of red lights appeared in the darkness.
“William,” I whispered then pulled my blade.
I looked overhead. The crew had opened the galley and were lowering a box to the ground. One of the crew members stood on top the crate, guiding it gently to the ground.
William had pulled his pistol and stepped between me and the strange lights. There was so much wrong here I didn’t know where to look. I heard the manor door open. Overhead, the crew of the airship held pistols on the red lights, the manor, and us.
A moment later, under the glow of the moonlight, I saw the glint of metal. Three very large automatons emerged from the garden. The red lights had been their optics. They were moving toward us. One couldn’t help but notice the maces, swords, and axes they carried.
“Halt,” a voice called.
I turned to see the Queen’s henchman—the man in the black turban we’d met on our last visit to the Queen with Anna—moving toward us.
The automatons stopped at once.
Once the box was lowered to the ground, the crewman unharnessed the box, lashed the harness around himself, then waved to his crew. I heard a winch click on, and the rope quickly retracted.
“Carry this inside,” the henchman instructed the metal men.
The automatons, while their movements were very awkward, moved forward and lifted the box. They marched slowly toward the front door.
I nodded to William, and we followed along behind.
“Jabberwocky has sent his favorite pets,” the man in the turban said as he walked beside us toward the house. “Do you know what’s in the box?’ he asked with a smirk.
“We don’t care. Your Queen has something for us. We’ll have it and be gone,” William said grimly.
“Your transport left you behind,” he said, waving a hand overhead.
Overhead, the airship lifted quickly as her balloon filled with hot air. It glowed like a lantern against the night’s sky. The ship turned and headed back toward the city. Fabulous.
“Nice night for a stroll,” William replied with a false smile.
The henchman smirked then motioned for us to follow him inside. The massive creatures carried the box with ease to the second floor. There we followed them down a long hallway. Some of the doors on this floor were open. Men and women, most of them drowsy, many of them naked, lay on beds or the floor. Some were drinking or smoking opium. Others seemed to be lost in a stupid slumber.
I had decided it was better if I kept my curious eyes to myself when I noticed a familiar face. Sitting glassy-eyed at the end of a bed, staring into an empty fireplace, was Anna. At least, I thought it was Anna.
Unable to stop myself, I went to the door. “Anna?” I called.
The girl didn’t look up. It was her, but it wasn’t her. She was so very thin. Her cheekbones and shoulders protruded like they wanted to burst from the paper-thin skin that held them in.
“Anna?
“This way,” the Queen’s henchman said.
“Alice,” William whispered.
I stared at the girl. There were cuts all over her forearms and on her neck. “Anna?”
William grabbed my arm. “Come on,” he whispered then pulled me away.
Anna turned and looked at me. Her big blue eyes had gone dim. A half-dead thing looked back at me. She stared at me for a moment then looked back at the empty fireplace.
“This way, pets,” the man with the turban called sharply.
“What happened to that girl?” I demanded.
“The Bandersnatch should not ask questions,” the man replied then turned to the automatons. “Stop,” he called to them.
The machines stopped with a jarring halt that rattled the box.
For a moment, I swore I heard a groan come from inside.
I cast a glance at William.
“Stay here,” the man said then entered a room with a set of double doors.
From inside, I heard the Queen of Hearts’s shrill voice. A moment later, the man opened the door.
I was surprised to see the Countess exit.
She eyed the box, then William and me. She gave us both a knowing look then headed down the hallway. I turned to watch her go.
The henchman motioned for the machines to enter. “Put it there,” the man said, pointing to a spot on the rug in front of the fireplace. “Then return to your posts.”
Their heavy footsteps clomping, the machines stomped awkwardly into the room.
William and I watched as the automatons set the box down with a thump. This time, I clearly heard a groan.
“Keep it down or I’ll have your head,” the Queen called.
The machines turned and left the room, William and I moving out of the way of their red-eyed stare. I wasn’t certain how the optics worked. I knew they had limited visibility and limited cognition, but they were able to make their way without any problem. Their heartless manner frightened me. So much brute strength with no soul seemed a terrible thing to me.
“As usual, Jabberwocky’s timing is miserable. I suppose Bandersnatch and Caterpillar are here?”
“Yes, madame,” the henchman answered.
“I wasn’t asking you,” she replied sharply, her voice filled with annoyance. “Don’t stand in the doorway, Jabberwocky’s favorites. Come in. I’m almost done.”
Done? Done with what?
Reluctant to move, and more than curious as to why the Countess had been there, I entered the Queen of Hearts’s boudoir. The room had a large medieval style canopy bed with velvet drapes. There was a round table, many chairs and chaises, and elaborate wardrobes. The walls were lined with tapestries that depicted images I didn’t at once recognize. The heroes and settings looked foreign. Mongolian, perhaps? Persian? I wasn’t sure. I eyed the room, looking for a clue as to why the Countess had been there. I found it in the form of an old book sitting on the table. There was nothing written on the spine, and the book had the ragged appearance of a journal. What was the Countess doing mixing with the Queen? What hold did she have on everyone?
As we moved further into the room, my eyes also sought out the Queen. Around the corner from the elaborate bed was a fireplace. Sitting in front of it was a copper wash basin. Long white legs dangled over the sides of the basin. William stopped as soon as he spotted her.
The Queen laughed.
“Caterpillar, you spend your entire day with tarts’ breasts dangling in your face. Afraid to see a proper lady bathing? Or are you afraid that your Bandersnatch will see the lust on your face when you take in my beauty? I don’t know how you do it, Alice. I’d be so jealous I’d have to murder every tart who pushed her tiny tits in my lover’s face, whether she took his eye or not, just out of the principle of it.”
I looked at William. Neither of us knew how to respond.
“No reply? Very well, then. Bandersnatch, be a dear and fetch my robe from the chair.”
Shaking my head, frustrated with the entire situation, I rounded the end of the bed. I tried to avert my eyes, simply grabbing the robe and getting only close enough to hand it off, but I couldn’t help but catch a glimpse of the Queen. But more than that, I caught a glimpse of her bath.
I stopped and stared.
“What is it, Bandersnatch?” the Queen asked with
a laugh. “Want to join me?”
The copper washbasin wasn’t copper at all. It was glass. The reddish orange sheen had come from the liquid inside. She was bathing in blood.
The Queen laughed.
“You’ve gone positively pale. Hearts, you see,” she said, then I heard a splash.
Against my better judgment, I looked. The Queen grinned at me as she sat in her bath of blood holding a human heart in her hand.
“Why do you think they call me the Queen of Hearts?” she asked with a laugh.
I stared at the heart.
“Look at my face,” she whispered.
I couldn’t take my eyes away. Bobbing on the surface of the bath water were at least a dozen human hearts.
“Look at me,” she demanded, her voice shrill.
I looked from the bath to her. I inhaled sharply. She looked like a girl no older than sixteen. She was even more beautiful, more radiant, than she’d been the first time I’d seen her.
The Queen laughed. “Now, give me my robe.”
I held it out to her.
The Queen of Hearts rose. Blood dripped down her body. Her skin was as pale as milk, but her body was beautifully formed, almost like she’d been carved out of marble.
“Aren’t I beautiful?” she whispered.
I didn’t know what to say.
“Well!” she demanded.
“Yes,” I replied.
“The most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?”
I thought over her question. A flash of my mother’s yellow hair, the color of sunflowers, falling in ringlets and the sound of her laughter tumbled through my mind. An image of Bess followed it. No. She wasn’t the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, but I thought it best not to say so. “Yes.”
“Humph,” she replied, recognizing that I had lied. She slipped on her robe. As she belted the robe, she headed toward the table where the old journal was sitting. I couldn’t help but notice that she left bloody footprints in her wake.
“Now, let me see,” she said as she eyed over the table. “Ah yes,” she said, picking up a small case which she then took to William who, I noticed, was doing everything he could to not look at her. “Here you are, Caterpillar. Now, let’s see what you think. Am I the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?” she asked him. She winked at me then unbelted her robe and let it drop to the floor.
William looked at me, his face twisting with anguish. Steeling my heart, I nodded to him.
He looked at her. “You are very beautiful. You look…different.”
“Yes. I do look a bit fresher, don’t I? Quite a neat trick the Countess worked out for me. She’s very good about things like that. But you didn’t answer my question, Caterpillar. Am I the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen?”
William smiled at her. “You are beautiful. But no.”
“No?” she asked. She ran her hands sensually over her breasts. “Are you certain?”
“You are beautiful, but no.”
The Queen sighed then turned to me. “It’s better to be feared than loved anyway. Bandersnatch, seems you have a loyal man. Now you know,” she said then grinned at me.
She picked up her robe and slid it back on. “That’s what your boss wanted,” she said, motioning to the small case she’d handed to William. “See them out,” she added, motioning to henchman who opened the door.
He motioned for us to follow him.
More than happy to get out of there, I headed toward the door.
“My—Your Highness, if you don’t mind, I wanted to ask about Anna. Are you…are you done with her?” I looked back to see William staring at the Queen.
“Anna?” the Queen replied, looking confused for a moment. “Oh yes, Miss Farm Fresh. I’m afraid she’s quite dried up.”
“If you’ve no use for her, maybe—”
“Take her. Consider it a bonus,” she replied then sat down on the box the automatons had delivered. She rapped on the lid. “Comfy, love?” she called with a laugh.
William turned and nodded to me. We quickly headed out the door before the Queen could change her mind. I raced down the hallway to the room where I’d seen Anna. She lay on the floor.
I knelt down. “Anna?” I reached out and turned her face toward me.
Her eyes were wide open, frozen in the grimace of death.
“Too late,” I whispered.
“Anna?” William said, kneeling beside me. He lifted her hand, feeling her wrist for any sign of life. He shook his head.
“Do you still want her?” the Queen’s henchman asked, a sick joking tone in his voice.
William rose, glared at the man, then we turned and left, both our hearts sick with guilt.
As we walked back to London that night, I’d sworn it was the last time I would ever deal with the Queen of Hearts.
Apparently, I was wrong.
* * *
The sunlight shimmered through the window onto William’s dark hair. Tints of blue, gold, and copper shimmered in the sunlight.
I stared at him.
“Alice, I’m going to get out. I’m ending it. All of it. I can’t live without you. I’ve saved as much as I can. You can’t—won’t—come back, and I don’t blame you. So, I’m coming to you, as I promised. I just need to clean up this last problem.” He reached out and touched my cheek. After a moment’s thought, he leaned toward me.
I didn’t pull back. I couldn’t. Every piece of me had wanted this moment since the day I’d left.
He pulled me into a deep kiss. I smelled the scent of jasmine on his skin, the salty sweet taste of his mouth, the feel of his beard on my chin. And most of all, I felt the soul of the man I had never stopped loving. I kissed him deeply, falling into his embrace.
I had missed him terribly.
After several moments had passed, he pulled back then set his forehead against mine.
“I love you, Alice,” he whispered. “I never stopped loving you.”
“I love you too,” I replied. “Now, let’s steal that bloody diamond.”
Chapter 16: A Girl’s Best Friend
Later that evening, William and I returned to Hyde Park. Merchant tents selling memorabilia and cheap replicas of the wonders inside were closed for the night. The taverns and betting places, including The Mushroom’s temporary tented home on the green, were still alive with noise and action. William and I left The Mushroom and headed to the green space between the Crystal Palace and the vendors. We settled onto a park bench far enough away from the exhibition to avoid provoking attention but close enough for a good look. Constables cased the place, shooing off onlookers trying to peer within. Inside the actual exhibition, which was now closed, guards patrolled the halls.
Lifting a spyglass, I scanned the building. “There. On the exterior of the building. Just near the German exhibit. There is a ladder that reaches from the second to the third floor.” I handed the spyglass to William.
He gazed at the ladder. “There are steel support beams. They look wide enough to move across if we’re careful and keep our steps light. That section will be shadowed in the dark of night.”
“We can’t break the glass to get in. It will make too much noise.”
William nodded. “Did you notice that the ceiling panels above the trees were cranked open to let the heat out?” He panned the spyglass toward the trees. “The tree limbs bend toward the open panels, but they’re too slim to support any weight.”
“Climb down the trees?” I asked, considering. “Might make too much noise. We need to slip down a rope. Quick and silent. Problem is, once we get the diamond, how do we get back out quickly? As soon as they realize the diamond is missing, they’ll turn that place inside out,” I said.
“Climb back up?”
I frowned. “Too high, and I’m too slow.”
“We could try the trees on the way out.”
“They’ll think to search there if they’re any good.”
William raised an eyebrow at me. “When have they ever be
en any good?”
I chuckled then considered the problem. “They will only get alarmed if they know the diamond is missing. What if we don’t melt the bars? What if we swipe the diamond and replace it with a fake? The diamond is so lackluster. A simple hunk of cut glass would mimic it easily.”
William rubbed his finger across his chin. “We’d need access to the safe. The guard’s key opens it, but that safe came from Buckingham. No way to get a copy.”
“Who needs a copy? We just need to lift the real key from the guard. We’ll come in at night, grab the diamond, swap it out with a fake, and then toss the key—”
“But getting out of the exhibit is the problem either way,” William said.
“What if we stay the night? We do the job near dawn. The guards will be tired by then. That will be to our advantage. We could swipe the diamond then hide in one of the exhibits.”
“Crawl inside a sarcophagus?” William asked with a grin.
“There are a million places to hide. When they open in the morning, we’d leave amongst the crowd,” I suggested.
“Stay at the scene of the crime? I’m not sure—”
“What crime? Until the guard discovers his key is missing, there’s nothing to worry about. We leave the key there, make it look like the guard dropped it. No one will be the wiser.”
“Except we need to lift the key off the guard.”
“Send Rabbit. His fingers are quick.”
William nodded thoughtfully. “That could work.”
“That could work.”
“So, I need to track the guard who carries the key,” William said.
“And I need a fake diamond.”
“Take your pick,” William said, motioning to the vendor tents behind us where the replicas were sold.
I stared at the building. It was a job just like any other job William and I had ever worked. But the risk here was very high. “If we get caught, we’ll be sent to the Tower.”
“The Queen of Hearts…there is no other way.”
“I could talk to her, try to work out a deal.”
“No,” William said, shaking his head. “She’s a sick woman. Don’t go near her. I made a mistake. I didn’t mean to, but it’s done. Don’t get any ideas in your mind, Alice. Stay away from her.”
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